Theft-preventing lock switch for automobiles



Sept- 11, 1934 M. FRAzlER THEFT PREVENTING' LOCK SWITCH FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Nov. 2l. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 11, 1934. M. FRAZIER 1,973,619

THEFT PREVENTING LOCK SWITCH FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Nov. 21. 1932 2 ysweets-sheet 2 Patented Sept. I1, 1934 THEFT-PREVENTIN G LooK SWITCH Fon 1 AUTOMOBILES Merton Frazier, Sheboygan, Wis., assigner of one-half to G. W. Schmitt, Sheboygan, Wis.

Application November 21, 1932, Serial No. 643,714

4 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple combination or permutation lock for use in locking open the ignition circuit to thereby prevent use of the car except by persons who have knowledge of the combination or permutation, means being provided whereby when the ignition switch lever is locked in open position it will be also locked in position to Close the horn circuit so that should an attempt be made to start the car through the medium of the starting button or peddle the horn will be put into operation to thus warn the owner or his representatives that an attempt is being made to operate the car by an unauthorized driver, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings annexed;

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of my device;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective View of the 20 locking wheels;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view hereinafter described;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view;

Fig. 5 is a face view of my device showing the dial and the operating knobs;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view looking for- Wardly;

Fig. '7 is another vertical sectional View taken on a plain different from 'that of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a diagram of a possible electric wiring system for use in connection with my apparatus.

Referring to the drawings annexed by reference characters, 10 designates a part of the usual instrument or dash-board of the car, and 11 a circular graduated dial or index fastened to the front face of the dash. An outer knurled finger knob 12 is removably fastened to the rear end of the shaft 13 by a set screw 13', and an inner knurled knob 14 is journalled on said shaft 13 through the medium of a sleeve shaft 15, this knob 14 being removably fastenedY to said sleeve shaft by a set-screw 16. The knurled knob 12 is provided with a pointer 17 and the other knob 14 is provided with a pointer 18, both of which pointers work around the face of the dial 11 in the usual manner'.

The shafts 13 and 15 extend through holes in (Cl. 20D-45) diameter than the adjacent lock-wheels. All three ci the aforesaid wheels are radially slotted coincidentally, the slot in the lock-wheel 19 being numbered 22, the slot in the lock-wheel 20 being numbered 23, and the slot in the intermediate wheel or disk being numbered 24. These three Wheels are separated from each other by intermediate washers 25.

Locked to the extreme forward end of the shaft 13,l by means of a locked nut 26 is a supporting disk 27, to whose front face is fastened a bracket 28, the forward wall of which is clamped against the rear face of the dash 10 by means of the aforesaid lock-nut 26. Plvotally attached at 29 to the front face of the supporting disk 27 is an ignition-switch 30 whose lower, handle-end depends to a point below the dial l1 for convenience in manipulation by the operator. This switch lever lies between the disk 27 and the lock-wheel 20 and is insulated from the shaft 13 by blocks 31, said switch lever being provided with a notch 32 in one edge, at a point coincident with the shaft 13, so that the lever may be moved across the center of the shaft without interference. When this lever is'moved to the limit of its movement toward the right, it forms a metallic bridge between two ignition contacts 33 and 34 to put the ig.- nition circuit in condition for operation, said ignition contacts 33 and 34 being mounted in the stationary plate 27 and being provided at the rear face of the member 37 with binding posts 35 for the wires of the ignition circuit.

When the ignition lever 30 is moved to the left, off the ignition contacts, it closes the horn circuit by pressing spring contact 38 against the horn-circuit contact 39 to thus close the horn circuit at that point. The distance between the adjacent ignition-circuit contact 34 and the horn-circuit contact 39 is such that the switch lever cannot be disconnected from the ignition circuit without closing the horn circuit, and vice versa. Spring member 38 of the horn contact is aiiixed to a binding post 40 and the contact pin 39 is ailixed to a binding post 4l, these two binding posts 40 and 41 being adapted to be connected to the horn circuit.

switch lever 30 is a lock bolt 43 which is adapted to slide approximately radially as the switch lever is moved back and forth from one contact to the other. When the switch lever is on the ignition contact 34 the lock bolt 43 is in its innermost position, while when the switch lever is on the vhorn contact 39 the lock bolt is in its outermost Pivotally attached at 42 to one edge of the position. When the lock bolt is in its innermost position a lock pin 44 carried by the lock bolt eX- tends through all three of the slots in the members 19, 20 and 2l and thus locks all three members together, preventing independent rotation. In this position the ignition lever is always on its two contacts 33 to insure closing of the ignition circuit. From this position the switch lever is always free to be swung to the right to make contact with the horn circuit and to shift the lock boltl outwardly far enough to take its pin 44 out of the two slots 22, 23 but not out of` the slot 24. When the parts are thus adjusted the lockwheels 19, 20 are free to be revolved independently by means of their respective knurled knobs, but the intermediate disk 21 cannot be rotated directly or indirectly because the lock bolt 43 is prevented from body rotation by being extended through a guide slot i5 in one arm of the bracket 28 and a keeper 46 fastened to one of the flanges of said bracket 28. It will thus be observed that the ignition lever can be adjusted to operative position only when the slots in the two lock disks 19, 20 coincide with the slot in the master-disk or member 21. rihis coincidence of the slots can be brought about only by a knowledge of the combination and therefore it would be a practical impossibility for an unauthorized person to make the adjustment necessary to operate the car.

Should an attempt be made to operate the car without rst shifting the lever 30 it will be observed that the horn circuit will be closed by the operation of the starter pedal or button 47 (Fig. 8), one of the wires of the horn circuit being connected to said button or pedal in such manner that when the same is operated the circuit will be grounded and thus operate the horn, warning the owner that someone is tampering with the lock. Instead of using the starter pedal for this purpose I may of course use the usual accelerator or throttle pedal, or both, it being simply necessary that when some essential part of the car is operated the horn circuit shall be grounded. The advantage in mounting the ignition lever 30 at a point above the shaft 13 in such manner that it will swing across the center of the shaft when adjusted to ignition position is that I can provide the ignition lever with a notch 32 so as to thereby utilize the shaft 13 as well as the insulating spacing members 3l for guiding and confining this switch lever.

I prefer providing the periphery of each of the wheels 19, 2o with notches 48 spaced equidistantly around the periphery. The purpose of these notches is to provide at numerous points around each lock disk for making a click noise as these lock disks are rotated similar to that which might occur at the lo .i notches 22, 23 should an unauthorized operator attempt to locate the notches 22, 23 by pressing hard to the right on the switch lever 3G and listen for a click that might be made when one of these notches 22 or 23 coincided with the lock pin Lie. The peripheral, false notches 48 will be so spaced and formed as to produce virtually the same sound as might be obtained by the lock pin ii clicking into one of the notches 22 or 23, so that it will be impossible by merely listening to the clicks to determine when the lock pin 44 has clicked into one of the lock slots. A casing 49 is desirably aflixed to the stationary supporting disk 27 in order to cover the binding posts and fastening nuts to thus avoid tampering with the circuits or other parts of the device.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted and some of the features of each modification may be embodied in the others without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

lI claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class set forth, supporting means, a shaft having aixed to it a lock -wheel radially slotted at one point, said shaft being provided with an operating finger piece, a sleeve shaft journalled on the aforesaid shaft and provided with an operating fing-er piece and also a slotted companion lock wheel, a dial for the two nger pieces, a master member provided with a slot similar to the slots in the lock wheels, an ignition switch lever adapted when moved in one direction to close the ignition circuit and when moved in the other direction to open said circuit, a locking member connected to said switch lever and embodyinga pin adapted to enter all three of said slots when the ignition lever is adjusted to ignition position.

2. In an appliance for preventing theft of gasdriven motor cars embodying an ignition circuit, a switch lever adapted in one position to close said ignition circuit and in another position to open said ignition circuit and thus render the car inoperative, and means for locking the switch lever in non-ignition position embodying a supporting means, a dial, a shaft having an operating thumb piece provided with a pointer working over the dial, another shaft provided with an operating thumb pieceV having a pointer working over the aforesaid dial, said shafts being each provided with a lock disk provided each with a radial slot and peripheral notches for the purpose set forth, a master member intermediate said lock wheels provided with a slot adapted to coincide with the slots in the lock wheels, and a wheel locking device connected with said switch lever and embodying a pin working in the slots of the lock wheels and the slot in the master member and adapted to ride on the peripheries of said lock wheels when the ignition lever is locked in nonignition position.

3. In an apparatus of the class set forth, supporting means, a shaft having affixed to it a lock wheel having a slot at one point in its periphery, said shaft being provided with an operating nnger-piece, a sleeve shaft concentrically surrounding the aforesaid shaft and provided with an operating finger-piece and also a slotted companionlock Wheel, this sleeve shaft being rotatable independently of the aforesaid shaft, dial means 'for the two finger-pieces, a master member provided with'a slot similar to the slots in the lock wheels, an ignition switch-member adapted when moved in one direction to close the ignition circuit and when moved in the other direction to open said circuit, a looking-member connected with said switching-member and embodying a pin adapted to enter all three of said slots when said switch-member is adjusted to ignition position.

4. In an apparatus of the class set forth, supporting means, a shaft having fixed to it an operating nger piece, a sleeve shaft concentrically surrounding the aforesaid shaft and provided with an operating finger piece, this shaft being rotatable independently of the aforesaid shaft, dial means for the two finger pieces, a pair of lock wheels fixed respectively to the aforesaid shafts and arranged s ide by side, each of these lock wheels being provided with a slot extending from its periphery inwardly toward its shaft, an 

